Colin Smalls GEICO Lehigh
Justin LeFleur/Lehigh
61
American Americ 8-21,4-13 Patriot
78
Winner Lehigh Lehigh 11-18,9-8 Patriot
American Americ
8-21,4-13 Patriot
61
Final
78
Lehigh Lehigh
11-18,9-8 Patriot
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
American Americ 34 27 61
Lehigh Lehigh 46 32 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Early Momentum Halted in 78-61 Men's Basketball Loss at Lehigh

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – American looked strong at the start but an early lead didn't hold up to the three-point shooting of Lehigh as men's basketball lost 78-61 in the Eagles' final road game of the regular season. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • During an early stretch of play, AU hit 8-of-9 field goals for a 17-10 lead. The run continued and when Stacy Beckton Jr. made it 3-for-3 it gave the Eagles their largest lead of 11, 23-12 at 11:11.
  • The momentum halted there for American as Lehigh found its stride, particularly from long range.
  • The Mountain Hawks caught fire with 4-of-5 three-point makes and Lehigh came all the way back and then charged ahead by the 9:08 mark of the first half.
  • With 4:15 remaining, Lehigh extended its lead to double digits, 37-27 and was 7-for-13 from behind the arc.
  • Beckton Jr. was the first to hit a three-pointer for the Eagles, doing so with less than a minute to go in the opening half. He also hit a jumper in the final seconds to cut a 14-point deficit to 12 at the break, 46-34.
  • Both teams struggled to shoot as well in the second half as they had in the first, but AU was unable to gain back any ground.
  • The Mountain Hawks' largest lead of 24 points came with 2:21 remaining.
  • Lehigh was able to capitalize on AU turnovers all game long, finishing with a 26-9 edge in points off turnovers with the Eagles committing twice as many (16 to 8).
BY THE NUMBERS
  • Beckton Jr. led AU with 17 points and six rebounds, reaching double figures in scoring for the fourth game in a row.
  • Also reaching double figures in scoring, for a third straight time, was Colin Smalls with 16 points.
  • The trey by Beckton Jr. late in the first half was the only one of the game for American, who went 1-for-4 after previously attempting no fewer than eight shots from long range in any game this season.
  • The last time AU hit only a single three-pointer was on March 6, 2013 in a PL quarterfinal loss to Army.
UP NEXT
  • American returns to Bender Arena for Senior Day and the Hall of Fame game on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. against Loyola Maryland.
  • Plan to arrive early by 1:50 PM as AU Men's Basketball honors its six-person senior class pregame.
  • Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here.
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